the price she paid-第2章

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ot　claim　credit　for　our　good　intentionsso　long　as；　even　through　lack　of　opportunity；　we　have　not　stultified　them？

With　every　natural　advantage　apparently；　Mildred's　failure　to　catch　a　husband　seemed　to　be　somehow　her　own　fault。　　Other　girls；　less　endowed　than　she；　were　marrying；　were　marrying　fairly　well。　　Why；　then；　was　Mildred　lagging　in　the　market？

There　may　have　been　other　reasons；　reasons　of　accidentfor；　in　the　higher　class　matrimonial　market；　few　are　called　and　fewer　chosen。　　There　was　one　reason　not　accidental；　Hanging　Rock　was　no　place　for　a　girl　so　superior　as　was　Mildred　Gower　to　find　a　fitting　husband。　　As　has　been　hinted；　Hanging　Rock　was　one　of　those　upper…middle…class　colonies　where　splurge　and　social　ambition　dominate　the　community　life。　　In　such　colonies　the　young　men　are　of　two　classesthose　beneath　such　a　girl　as　Mildred；　and　those　who　had　the　looks；　the　manners；　the　intelligence；　and　the　prospects　to　justify　them　in　looking　higher　sociallyin　looking　among　the　very　rich　and　really　fashionable。　　In　the　Hanging　Rock　sort　of　community；　having　all　the　snobbishness　of　Fifth　Avenue；　Back　Bay；　and　Rittenhouse　Square；　with　the　added　torment　of　the　snobbishness　being　perpetually　ungratifiedin　such　communities；　beneath　a　surface　reeking　culture　and　idealistic　folderol；　there　is　a　coarse　and　brutal　materialism；　a　passion　for　money；　for　luxury；　for　display；　that　equals　aristocratic　societies　at　their　worst。　　No　one　can　live　for　a　winter；　much　less　grow　up；　in　such　a　place　without　becoming　saturated　with　sycophantry。　　Thus；　only　by　some　impossible　combination　of　chances　could　there　have　been　at　Hanging　Rock　a　young　man　who　would　have　appreciated　Mildred　and　have　had　the　courage　of　his　appreciation。　　This　combination　did　not　happen。　In　Mildred's　generation　and　set　there　were　only　the　two　classes　of　men　noted　above。　　The　men　of　the　one　of　them　which　could　not　have　attracted　her　accepted　their　fate　of　mating　with　second…choice　females　to　whom　they　were　themselves　second　choice。　　The　men　of　the　other　class　rarely　appeared　at　Hanging　Rock　functions；　hung　about　the　rich　people　in　New　York；　Newport；　and　on　Long　Island；　and　would　as　soon　have　thought　of　taking　a　Hanging　Rock　society　girl　to　wife　as　of　exchanging　hundred…dollar　bills　for　twenty…five…cent　pieces。　　Having　attractions　acceptable　in　the　best　markets；　they　took　them　there。　　Hanging　Rock　denounced　them　as　snobs；　for　Hanging　Rock　was　virtuously　eloquent　on　the　subject　of　snobbishnesswe　human　creatures　being　never　so　effective　as　when　assailing　in　others　the　vice　or　weakness　we　know　from　lifelong；　intimate；　internal　association　with　it。　　But　secretly　the　successfully　ambitious　spurners　of　that　suburban　society　were　approved；　were　envied。　　And　Hanging　Rock　was　most　gracious　to　them　whenever　it　got　the　chance。

In　her　five　years　of　social　life　Mildred　had　gone　only　with　the　various　classes　of　fashionable　people；　had　therefore　known　only　the　men　who　are　full　of　the　poison　of　snobbishness。　　She　had　been　born　and　bred　in　an　environment　as　impregnated　with　that　poison　as　the　air　of　a　kitchen…garden　with　onions。　　She　knew　nothing　else。　　The　secret　intention　to　refuse　Stanley　Baird；　should　he　propose；　was　therefore　the　more　astonishingand　the　more　significant。　　From　time　to　time　in　any　given　environment　you　will　find　some　isolated　person；　some　personality；　with　a　trait　wholly　foreign　and　out　of　place　there。　　Now　it　is　a　soft　voice　and　courteous　manners　in　a　slum；　again　it　is　a　longing　for　a　life　of　freedom　and　equality　in　a　member　of　a　royal　family　that　has　known　nothing　but　sordid　slavery　for　centuries。　　Or；　in　the　petty　conventionality　of　a　prosperous　middle…　or　upper…class　community　you　come　upon　one　who　dreamsperhaps　vaguely　but　still　longinglyof　an　existence　where　love　and　ideas　shall　elevate　and　glorify　life。　　In　spite　of　her　training；　in　spite　of　the　teaching　and　example　of　all　about　her　from　the　moment　of　her　opening　her　eyes　upon　the　world；　Mildred　Gower　at　twenty…three　still　retained　something　of　these　dream　flowers　sown　in　the　soil　of　her　naturally　good　mind　by　some　book　or　play　or　perhaps　by　some　casually　read　and　soon　forgotten　article　in　magazine　or　newspaper。　　We　have　the　habit　of　thinking　only　weeds　produce　seeds　that　penetrate　and　prosper　everywhere　and　anywhere。　　The　truth　is　that　fine　plants　of　all　kinds；　vegetable；　fruit；　and　flower　of　rarest　color　and　perfume；　have　this　same　hardiness　and　fecundity。　　Pull　away　at　the　weeds　in　your　garden　for　a　while；　and　see　if　this　is　not　so。　　Though　you　may　plant　nothing；　you　will　be　amazed　at　the　results　if　you　but　clear　a　little　space　of　its　weedswhich　you　have　been　planting　and　cultivating。

Mildredwoman　fashionregarded　it　as　a　reproach　upon　her　that　she　had　not　yet　succeeded　in　making　the　marriage　everyone；　including　herself；　predicted　for　her　and　expected　of　her。　　On　the　contrary；　it　was　the　most　savage　indictment　possible　of　the　marriageable　and　marrying　men　who　had　met　herof　their　stupidity；　of　their　short…sighted　and　mean…souled　calculation；　of　their　lack　of　couragethe　courage　to　take　what　they；　as　men　of　flesh　and　blood　wanted；　instead　of　what　their　snobbishness　ordered。　　And　if　Stanley　Baird；　the　nearest　to　a　flesh…and…blood　man　of　any　who　had　known　her；　had　not　been　so　profoundly　afraid　of　his　fashionable　mother　and　of　his　sister；　the　Countess　of　Waring　　But　he　was　profoundly　afraid　of　them；　so；　it　is　idle　to　speculate　about　him。

What　did　men　see　when　they　looked　at　Mildred　Gower？　　Usually；　when　men　look　at　a　woman；　they　have　a　hazy；　either　pleasant　or　unpleasant；　sense　of　something　feminine。　　That；　and　nothing　more。　　Afterward；　through　some　whim　or　some　thrust　from　chance　they　may　see　in　her；　or　fancy　they　see　in　her；　the　thing　feminine　that　their　soulsit　is　always　‘‘soul''most　yearns　after。　　But　just　at　first　glance；　so　colorless　or　conventionally　colored　is　the　usual　human　being；　the　average　womanindeed　every　woman　but　she　who　is　exceptionalcreates　upon　man　the　mere　impression　of　pleasant　or　unpleasant　petticoats。　　In　the　exceptional　woman　something　obtrudes。　　She　has　astonishing　hair；　or　extraordinary　eyes；　or　a　mouth　that　seems　to　draw　a　man　like　a　magnet；　or　it　is　the　allure　of　a　peculiar　smile　or　of　a　figure　whose　sinuosities　as　she　moves　seem　to　cause　a　corresponding　wave…disturbance　in　masculine　nerves。　　Further；　the　possession　of　one　of　these　signal　charms　usually　causes　all　her　charms　to　have　more　than　ordinary　potency。　　The　sight　of　the　man　is　so　bewitched　by　the　one　potent　charm　that　he　sees　the　whole　woman　under　a　spell。

Mildred　Gower；　of　the　medium　height　and　of　a　slender　and　well…formed　figure；　had　a　face　of　the　kind　that　is　called　lovely；　and　her　smile；　sweet；　dreamy；　revealing　white　and　even　teeth；　gave　her　loveliness　delicate　animation。　　She　had　an　abundance　of　hair；　neither　light　nor　dark；　she　had　a　fine　clear　skin。　　Her　eyes；　gray　and　rather　serious　and　well　set　under　long　straight　brows；　gave　her　a　look　of　honesty　and　intelligence。　But　the　charm　that　won　men；　her　charm　of　charms；　was　her　mouthmobile；　slightly　pouted；　not　too　narrow；　of　a　wonderful；　vividly　healthy　and　vital　red。　　She　had　beauty；　she　had　intelligence。　　But　it　was　impossible　for　a　man　to　think　of　either；　once　his　glance　had　been　caught　by　those　expressive；　inviting　lips　of　hers；　so　young；　so　fresh；　with　their　ever…changing；　ever…　fascinating　line　expressing　in　a　thousand　ways　the　passion　and　poetry　of　the　kiss。

Of　all　the　men　who　had　admired　her　and　had　edged　away　because　they　feared　she　would　bewitch　them　into　forgetting　what　the　world　calls　‘‘good　common　sense''　of　all　those　men　only　one　had　suspected　the　real　reason　for　her　physical　power　over　men。　　All　but　Stanley　Baird　had　thought　themselves　attracted　because　she　was　so　pretty　or　so　stylish　or　so　clever　and　amusing　to　talk　with。　　Baird　had　lived　intelligently　enough　to　learn　that　feminine　charm　is　never　general；　is　always　specific。　　He　knew　it　was　Mildred　Gower's　lips　that　haunted；　that　frightened　ambitious　men　away；　that　sent　men　who　knew　they　hadn't　a　ghost　of　a　chance　with　her　discontentedly　back　to　the　second…choice　women　who　alone　were　available　for　them。　　Fortunately　for　Mildred；　Stanley　Baird；　too　wise　to　flatter　a　woman　discriminatingly；　did　not　tell　her